The Smiling Death-Chapter 316: New Home

Roland stopped in the middle of the village with Amon standing beside him.

The villagers, who had slowly gathered around them, now formed a loose circle. Humans, elves, demons. Men, women, even a few children stood watching with curious but calm expressions.

Roland straightened his back and raised his voice so everyone could hear. With a firm expression, he called out loudly, "Everyone!"

The murmurs quieted.

Pointing slightly toward Amon, Roland continued in a firm but welcoming tone, his face composed, "This young man is going to be the new resident of our village. His name is Amon. I hope you all will get along with him."

The villagers exchanged glances. Some of them nodded. Some offered faint smiles. A few simply observed silently.

Amon stepped forward slightly. With a calm but polite expression, he bowed his head a little.

With a steady voice, he said, "Hello. My name is Amon. I hope we can get along."

A middle-aged woman gave him a warm smile. A young elf girl waved shyly. A horned demon man gave him a short nod of acknowledgment.

The atmosphere was not hostile. But it was cautious. After a brief moment, Roland gestured with his hand.

With a casual tone, he said, "Alright, everyone. Back to your work."

The villagers slowly dispersed, returning to their daily routines.

Roland then turned to Amon. With a calm expression, he said, "Come. I’ll show you your house."

Amon nodded and followed him.

They walked toward the other side of the village. The path was narrow but clean. Small wooden houses stood on either side. Some were larger, likely meant for families. Others were medium-sized.

The houses were made of black wood. Then Roland stopped in front of a small wooden house.

Compared to the others nearby, it was clearly smaller, almost as if it had been built for only one person.

The wood was dark brown and neatly arranged. The roof slanted slightly downward, with thick wooden shingles layered carefully. A small window was carved into one side.

Roland stepped forward with a relaxed smile.

With a casual expression, he said, "This will be your house. It’s only for one person, so you don’t need to share it with anyone like I do with Kael."

Amon carefully observed the house before stepping forward.

He pushed the wooden door open and entered.

The entrance was directly connected to a small living room. Inside stood a simple wooden table and one sturdy wooden chair. A chimney was built along the wall, likely used for warmth during colder days.

The room smelled faintly of wood and ash.

On the right side, a door led to what looked like a small kitchen area. It wasn’t large. Just enough space for a stove, shelves, and storage. Everything was made of either wood or stone.

On the left side, another door led to the bedroom.

Roland stepped inside briefly and, with a neutral expression, said calmly, "All the people of the village eat together. Afternoon lunch and night dinner are served in the canteen."

He pointed vaguely toward the center of the village.

With the same calm tone, he continued, "It’s quite large. Situated near the middle of this small village. You’ll see it easily."

Amon nodded. With a short reply, he said, "Understood."

Roland looked at him for a moment, his expression softening slightly. After a brief pause, he spoke in a low voice,

"I didn’t tell you... but I am from the Davencourt Kingdom. I came here for exploration on the order of our king... but I never thought I would get stuck here. My other comrades died to four- or five-rank monsters. I somehow survived. And found myself here. Just like you... I entered an unknown cave and found myself here. Everyone has the same experience."

Amon listened to him calmly. With a sympathetic expression, he said, "I am sorry for you. But this is interesting... so everyone came to this place through the cave. Where did you find that cave?"

Roland remained silent for a while, trying to remember his old days and what had happened at that time. With a distant look in his eyes, he finally spoke, "It was behind a small waterfall. I remember. I was trying to drink and saw this cave and entered."

Amon frowned deeply.

’ But... the cave I saw was not behind the waterfall.’

Roland, with a thoughtful expression, continued, "All of those who found that cave were in different locations when they saw it. It was as if the cave intentionally appeared close to us, so we could enter."

With a serious look, Amon said, "That might be true."

He started to think deeply about it.

’I need to talk with Vetaal about this.’

Roland sighed slightly. With a firm but gentle tone, he said, "For now, just put that topic aside. Get adjusted to this place. Rest for today."

With that, Roland turned and walked out, closing the door lightly behind him.

Silence filled the small house. Amon stood still for a moment. Then he slowly exhaled.

He walked to the chair and sat down. The wood creaked faintly under his weight.

Finally, a faint distortion appeared in the air near the roof.

A gray-skinned, corpse-like figure slowly became visible.

Vetaal.

His body floated upward, drifting near the upper side of the house where thick wooden logs supported the structure. He casually settled himself on one of the beams, sitting cross-legged as if weight meant nothing to him.

His hollow eyes looked down at Amon.

With a calm but slightly amused expression, Vetaal said, his voice echoing faintly inside the quiet room, "So, you have a home now."

Amon leaned back in his chair and stared up at him.

With a quiet tone, he replied, "Yes."

But neither of them smiled.

Amon narrowed his eyes slightly and asked curiously, "You can move now?"

With a casual shrug, Vetaal replied, "Yeah. Not for too long. Maybe for a minute. I need to spend more time to regain my strength."

Amon nodded. With a serious expression, he asked, "What do you think? Any idea about that cave? Why does it appear near people in different locations and then bring them here?"

Vetaal’s expression turned thoughtful. With a low voice, he answered, "To be honest, I have no idea. This is even beyond what I expected. This situation is just too suspicious."

Amon looked up at him intently. With a probing gaze, he asked, "Then do you have any guess... why you woke up only when I came to you... not when Roland or others found you?"

Vetaal’s hollow eyes narrowed slightly. With a knowing expression, he replied, "Yeah, I have an idea. This is probably because of you possessing powers or, say, a class related to death. That was the reason why I woke up. I sense something like death. It woke me up from deep slumber."

Amon’s breath nearly stopped upon hearing him. His eyes widened.

’My class? Powers?’

Vetaal smirked faintly. With a calm but blunt tone, he said, "Don’t be shocked, boy. I am literally an undead or something similar to an undead. Who do you think handles undead? People who possess death-related powers. A class related to death."

Amon swallowed lightly. With a hesitant tone, he said, "I guess you are right... what about those monsters who have been sleeping for a long time?"

Vetaal’s expression turned serious. With a measured tone, he replied, "I need to see them. Then I can understand what’s going on."

Amon leaned back slightly. With a calm but resigned tone, he said, "Okay. For now, you can’t do anything, nor can I. You should focus on regaining your powers, while I will relax for a few days."

Vetaal nodded slightly. With a neutral expression, he said, "Fair enough."